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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

I find this thread a little disturbing. There is more to life than a piano. If I am at home with nothing much else to do, I will sit and play, but I do not go to work and sit and think about the next time I can play the instrument. It is a different matter when you have an exam coming up, but if not, then to sit and think about it too much is unhealthy.

Sometimes the "obsession" is what is known as dedication. Sometimes it's called discipline. It's the courage, passion and sustained unrelenting application that one needs to succeed at something very difficult. I would hate to think that these qualities have become so foreign to our voyeuristic, entitled and consumer driven culture that they seem somehow pathological and "creepy." (Unless you're Lang Lang and can make mega bucks at it.)

I find this thread a little disturbing. There is more to life than a piano. If I am at home with nothing much else to do, I will sit and play, but I do not go to work and sit and think about the next time I can play the instrument. It is a different matter when you have an exam coming up, but if not, then to sit and think about it too much is unhealthy.

Sometimes the "obsession" is what is known as dedication. Sometimes it's called discipline. It's the courage, passion and sustained unrelenting application that one needs to succeed at something very difficult. I would hate to think that these qualities have become so foreign to our voyeuristic, entitled and consumer driven culture that they seem somehow pathological and "creepy." (Unless you're Lang Lang and can make mega bucks at it.)

That's what I have been hoping my obsession is.

Was always fairly proud of it. Certainly never considered it in any way a bad thing.

Played a bit of piano last night after a couple of days break and played the piece I have been working on much better. It is true to say that if you have a break from a difficult piece and go back to it, you find you play it better and enjoy it more.

When you agonise all week because you're going crazy without your piano, but you don't want to inflict you germs on the poor thing as its beautiful and it feels wrong to cough or sneeze near it when you're ill. Am staring at it longingly now and wondering about the possibility of playing with a scarf over my face, but I think the noise might hurt my head.

Hope you feel better soon Toastie. Whewn can we see your new piano's photo?

When you agonise all week because you're going crazy without your piano, but you don't want to inflict you germs on the poor thing as its beautiful and it feels wrong to cough or sneeze near it when you're ill. Am staring at it longingly now and wondering about the possibility of playing with a scarf over my face, but I think the noise might hurt my head.

Hope you feel better soon Toastie. Whewn can we see your new piano's photo?

I don't know because I genuinely can't put one on. I'm not technologically minded. It's just too much to get it from the iPad, to the computer, to the Internet, to here. You might just have to imagine what it looks like.

Your point is well taken - there is more to life than thinking about the piano - when I turned 58, two guys I was having lunch with - 30 year olds - said they played half-court basketball every summer. My only question was - would they teach me how to play basketball because I never had a chance as a kid and I always wanted to play basketball. They agreed - for a few designer coffees - and I said it was a deal. People at work who hadn't played basketball in years or tens of years joined in. After learning some of the skills - I wasn't that great, of course, because it takes a lifetme to be that good. I couldn't get to sleep at night after basketball because I was so excited just playing the game, not to mention that when I made a rare basket, there were roars from everyone in the gym because of the accomplishment - and the odds. Understand that when I returned to work every morning I would tell the guys at work how it went and it was all I could do to hold back the tears from the joy and excitement. I was ultimately playing 5 nights a week at different gyms, pickup baskball. Weighed 240 pounds and sweated my way to 165 pounds. So, yes, basketball, was on my mind all the time.

Now, about the piano. I was told at a hospital emergency that I had leukemia cancer in 2006 and I was told I was not allowed to play basketball because if I ever had a accident, my blood and immune system would not support an operation/surgery. I didn't drop a tear about getting fatal cancer in the 4th stage, but I dropped a tear when they told me I could no longer play basktball. In 2012 after being treated for cancer for 6 years -and still alive - but weak, I sat at my dusty electronic piano where I never ever played much if anything on the piano - I had a piano book 1 how to play the piano but never opened it. So one day I thought that if I sat on the piano bench and tried to play a tune from the book, I might distract myself, to build up my strength sufficiently that I could sit up for a little while. I could walk a bit, stand a bit, but I could not sit up for very long. Well, sitting at the piano didn't help much with sitting up but in the process I fell in love with playing the piano. So like basketball, all I can think about is playing the piano. Staring at the dusty eletronic piano for over 10 years and considering my situation as a whole, I never ever thought there would be even a remote chance of ever playing the piano. I live in a shack, holes in the wall, 450 sq ft, tiny, never painted since I bought the place 35 years ago. Bought an acoustic piano and can play the piano 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year - nobody can bother me. I am only working through John Thompson book 2. I can play about 60 little tunes from playing for a year. Most of the tunes are only 8 measures long, just as you would excpect from a book 1 piano book. In the way that I would take a moment to try to shoot a basketball at the hoop, is the same concentraton that I use trying to play my 60 tunes musically, rhymically, and accurately over a couple of hours. As a grand, I open and close the top and cover the piano everyday when I go to bed. The piano also came with a valvet piano cover so I cover it as well with that every night . I always wash my hands before I touch/play the piano. I love to play the piano. I am humbled to have the opportunity to have a piano to play. After I play for a while, I go for a walk down by the river to get some fresh air and enjoy the beauty of life. And then back to the piano because I am missing the sounds of the piano. Now you understand why life can be distrubing....

I always wash my hands before I touch/play the piano. I love to play the piano. I am humbled to have the opportunity to have a piano to play. After I play for a while, I go for a walk down by the river to get some fresh air and enjoy the beauty of life. And then back to the piano because I am missing the sounds of the piano

Lovely post Michael- you have such a way with words, almost poetical. I could imagine you writing poems or fiction.

It is good to be enthusiastic but to think about it day and night is an obsession. I come from a family where we have addictive behaviour and it destroyed a lot of good things. To be over obsessive is not good. In fact it is a bit creepy.

...to think about it day and night...Sounds like the definition of love, of which obsession is an important component. Good things are not destructive.

I live among passive aggressive dullards who make it a point to destroy or belittle beautiful things. They're not permitted to touch my piano.

It's my precious.

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Piano is hard work from beginning to forever. Accept this as truth or risk a quick exit with tail between legs.